


Fire Emblem Revelations: Dark Waters

by CaptainAzenor



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: All relationships are romantic, Anankos wins, Angst, Dark Revelations AU, Expanded Geography, Expanded Hoshidan Culture, Expanded Nohrian Culture, Expanded Vallite culture, Expanded lore, F/M, Fatherly Anankos, Flora may end up with Shura, Graphic depictions of walking corpses, He's warring with himself, I don't know, I'm not sure if it's graphic enough for the warning, Imprisonment, My personal Headcanons will be in here, No Deeprealms or kids, No Sexual Content, Not everyone in Valla is dead or an undead, Rinkah has no pairing, Valla - Freeform, Vallite survivors, Violence, Warning is there just in case, no one dies, not totally canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 11:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17661899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainAzenor/pseuds/CaptainAzenor
Summary: After sneaking into Gyges Castle, Corrin encounters several unpleasant surprises. The worst of which turns her briefly against her friends as the dragon controls her body like a puppet. The combined group of Nohrians and Hoshidans fail to defeat Anankos. Now imprisoned within Valla's castle, they must try to stay safe, sane and avoid setting off the dragon. Life in Valla goes on, no matter how grim.There are some changes to canon, including the characters' outfits. They'll be more realistic. More inside.





	Fire Emblem Revelations: Dark Waters

**Author's Note:**

> As a note, Elise and Sakura are wearing healer robes from their countries, not short skirts. Camilla is wearing more armor. All female outfits are now more practical and less fanservice. Come on, this is a game series about WAR. Everyone is in their default outfit. I'm treating the classes very loosely. There will also be classes from other games. Cleric is included and is unisex. Magic doesn't require spell books and staves are not needed for healing (more on that in the actual chapter). I've always found that kinda silly.
> 
> EDIT: I changed some grammar issues and put in Azura and Corrin's surname. The surname for Valla's Royal Family is Athanasia, which is Greek for "Immortality". Well, there are several ways to say immortality but that's one of them. The surnames for Hoshido and Nohr's Royal Families are Byakuya (white night or artic night) and Nachtblume (night flower). Yay theme naming.

* * *

 

* * *

They had finally made it out of the rather extensive dungeon complex of Gyges Castle. After ascending a staircase, they found themselves in a plain hallway. A door made of iron was at the end of it.

Ryoma cautiously walked forward and tested the door. It wasn’t locked and swung open slowly. “All clear. For now.”

Corrin nodded and led the others into the next hall, which was less plain but still not fancy by any stretch of the word. Simple wooden doors lined the corridor.

Azura looked around. “This must be the guards’ quarters. They can reach the dungeons quickly from here…”

“Do you think the servants’ quarters are nearby?” Xander asked.

“Yes. We’ll have to get past both to reach the main area of the castle. Once we get there, we can head to the throne room.”

Corrin and her army gingerly made their way through the guards’ quarters, pushing open the door into the hall where the servants lived. Or had lived. No one was sure if anyone in the castle was still alive. It was silent and grimy. There were a few cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

Azura slowly opened a door set into the left side of the hall, ignoring the doors to the north. They were ajar and revealed the castle kitchens beyond. “There’s no one ahead,” she whispered.

They stepped into the castle foyer, which had been far more beautiful before time had taken its toll. The floor was made of marble and mosaic tiles, dull and dusty from years of neglect. Murals and paintings on the walls had faded, reduced to unclear depictions of scenes and people. Two opulent staircases combined into one halfway up. In between them was a set of double doors.

“Where’s the throne room?” Takumi asked softly.

“The second floor,” Azura replied.

A noise suddenly startled them. Looking around wildly, Corrin noticed nothing amiss in the foyer. “What was that? It sounded like it came from there.” She pointed at the doors by the staircases.

“We’ll find out,” Leo said and started towards the doors. He shoved them open, magic sparking along his fingers.

Corrin and the others followed him inside. The large room beyond was clearly the main dining hall. A long mahogany table was in the center, lined with fine wooden chairs. Empty plates and cups were at every place setting. Candles in tarnished silver holders glowed faintly. Other light came from holders made of brass attached to the walls, the three candles set in each one lit and shining brightly.

“That’s creepy.” Takumi looked around. “Who lit all of these candles?”

Elise shuddered. “All the places are set and there’s no one left to enjoy a meal. Do you think they have been here since Valla was conquered?”

Xander nodded stoically. “Most likely. Those silver candle holders on the table haven’t been polished in a long time.”

A creak drew everyone’s attention. It seemed to be coming from the left wall, not the doors leading into the kitchens. Corrin drew her sword, the brass blade of the Yato gleaming in the candlelight.

A hidden door set within one of the panels of the wall opened slowly as a woman in threadbare servant’s clothing stepped into the dining hall. Her pale green hair was dirty and tied back in a simple ponytail. Seeing them, she brandished the long brass candle lighter in her hand. “Ah! Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Her skin wasn’t deathly pale, rotted or sloughing off. There was no smell or purple aura. Her eyes weren’t lit with eerie red light. “Are you alive?” Sakura asked warily.

“I’m not a thrall, no. Some of the guards are… Reanimated corpses stalking the halls… That’s been normal for years now.”

Azura walked towards the young woman. “Are there other living people here?”

“Yes. I was a child when he took over.” She looked closely at Azura. “Blue hair is common in Valla but… You look like…”

“Queen Arete? Yes, she was my mother.”

The servant put her right hand to her mouth. “Princess Azura.”

Azura nodded slowly. “That’s me. Are you a vessel?”

“No. Why would he want to possess a lowly candlelighter like me? I just keep the place lit along with the others…”

Xander stepped forward, sword in hand. “We heard something in here. I’m assuming that was you?”

She nodded, eyeing Siegfried warily. “Yes. I was getting the room ready.”

“For what?” Takumi demanded.

“For us to eat, of course. We’ve been trying to keep this place from falling apart. It’s been almost nineteen years since he took over,” she replied, tone slightly annoyed. “Gyges Castle used to have hundreds of servants. Cooks, kitchen staff, cleaning maids, stable boys, butlers, Royal maids… All sorts. Now there are only about thirty people who still work here. It's rather difficult to keep the castle up and running.”

Sakura looked around, rubbing her arms. “Because they’re all dead…?”

“Well, lots of people left. Didn’t want to serve the monster.”

“We came in from the dungeons and snuck past many guards down there. You said they were undead?” Leo questioned.

The servant shook her head. “Not all of them. There are a few servants who have been reanimated. No one counts them, though. They answer only to him.” She sighed deeply. “Most of the Royal Guards are dead. Others fled. With the Royal Family slain, there was no point. Some were reanimated to serve the dragon…”

Azura frowned. “So my uncles, grand aunts, and most of my cousins are dead.” She glanced at Corrin. “We are all that remains of Royal House Athanasia.”

“Pardon, Your Highness?”

“This is my cousin, Corrin.”

The young woman’s brown eyes widened. “Princess Mikoto’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

Corrin looked appraisingly at the servant. “What’s your name?”

“Romilda, Your Highness.” She curtsied deeply. “I shouldn’t keep you waiting. You are here to fight?”

“We are. Do you know who my father was?” Corrin asked. When they had killed the undead Emperor Sumeragi, he had told them that she wasn’t actually his child. Takumi had also told her as much earlier.

Romilda shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I was too young when everything happened… I’m only twenty-one. I was three when the monster conquered Valla. I have no idea who the Princess’s husband was.”

“It’s fine.” Corrin smiled a bit. “We’re going to make sure Anankos never hurts anyone again.”

Romilda flinched at the dragon deity’s name. “Shh! They might hear…”

“The thralls?” Ryoma asked.

“Yes. He uses them to find out who isn’t obeying… My sister was taken to the dungeons a week ago for speaking out.” Her voice shook with fear.

Xander pursed his lips. “We’ll see if she is there and rescue her after laying the dragon low.”

“Thank you. I need to finish up in here before they come…” She flitted about the room, checking all of the candles and relighting ones that were faltering.

Footsteps, slow and heavy, came from above. The menacing sound seemed to be coming from the grand staircase.

Corrin turned to Romilda. “Something is coming.”

“Go through the hidden door,” the candlelighter said hurriedly, voice soft and panicked.

“Can we all fit?” Takumi asked lowly.

Romilda shrugged. “It’s a narrow servants’ passage.”

Azura grabbed Corrin’s arm and led her through the hidden door, followed by Xander, Ryoma, Takumi, Leo, Hinoka, and Camilla. Elise and Sakura hid under the table, putting the long tablecloth back afterward. Most of the other retainers and soldiers they had brought along crammed themselves into the servants' passageway. Peri and Setsuna went under the table with the two youngest Princesses.

A few seconds after the hidden door closed, two thralls entered the dining hall. Corrin could see them through a small peephole in the door. One was dressed in a long but raggedy black dress with a stained white apron. A former maid. Her hair was stringy and falling out of her rotting head.

The other was dressed in a fine blue uniform that had seen better days. A sword was sheathed at his left hip. In one hand he gripped the shaft of a spear. He didn’t seem to be decomposing, hinting that he had been killed recently. Azura glanced through the peephole. “A Royal Guardsman,” she mouthed.

“Are you done, girl?” the undead maid snapped.

Romilda bobbed her head rapidly. “Yes, Missus Iroris.”

The thrall surveyed the room thoughtfully. “Hmph. Your sister would have done it faster. You spend too much time lazing about. But everything is done. Tell the cooks and kitchen staff.”

“All right.” Romilda started walking towards the doors to the kitchens. “Anything else you need?”

“No,” the thrall replied. She turned to the Royal Guardsman. “Let’s go. Leave the servants to their meal.” They walked out of the room. Soon their footfalls could be heard on the stairs.

After they were completely gone, everyone came out of their hiding places. Elise looked outside and said, “That was close.”

Hinoka waved to Romilda. “Thank you. Hurry and do what you’re supposed to. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Right.” The candlelighter smiled gratefully and went into the kitchens.

Camilla headed towards the exit. “Let’s be off, darlings.”

* * *

Azura and Corrin went back to the front. Everyone left the dining hall and started up the grand staircase’s right side. The only sounds audible were their footsteps on the marble steps, muffled by the blue carpet.

When they reached the landing, Azura yanked the ornate doors open with a grunt. “What? There’s no one…”

The others peered inside the grand room warily. A deep blue carpet with gold edges led up to the throne. The marble floor shone, clean and well cared for. Tapestries hung from the walls. Stained glass windows allowed in colored light. All of the candles were lit, those in holders on the walls and those set into the extravagant chandeliers suspended from thick chains. But there was no one there. No one at all. No thralls, no servants and certainly no dragon deity.

“Where could he be?” Takumi queried.

Azura growled, golden eyes widening. “There's a temple dedicated to him in a cavern. Gyges Castle and the capital city of Delphine are built on top of a network of subterranean tunnels and crypts. Why didn’t I think of that before?”

“It’s all right,” Corrin said soothingly. “You haven’t been here since you were an infant.”

They headed back down to the first floor and went to a door on the left. Xander pulled it open, leading them down the hallway. Eventually they came to a marble staircase spiraling down below the ground.

As quiet as humanly possible, they took the stairs, which were fairly wide. At the bottom was a corridor lined with torches. Mosaic tiles were on the walls, faded with age. An imposing set of doors was at the end of the hall.

Corrin stepped forward and opened them, moving into the chamber beyond. She looked around, confused.

Pillars seemingly held up the ceiling. Some were cracked and some were fully broken, laying in pieces on the tile floor. The stone throne at the far end of the room was cracked. There was a giant hole in the wall behind it, masonry littering the floor. Pools of water lined the room, set into marble basins that were around three feet deep. Murals covered some portions of the walls, displaying various religious scenes. And there was no one else there, either.

“I don’t get it. Where is he?” she asked aloud, frustrated.

The air shimmered strangely before blasts of magic suddenly bombarded the group. Screams filled the room as people flung themselves out of the way of the bright flames.

Corrin and Azura stood still, shocked. They were completely untouched. “What was that!? Where did it come from!?”

“Why weren’t they attacked?” Leo inquired, frowning in confusion.

“Is it possible that Corrin…?” Ryoma uttered.

Takumi shook his head wildly, long ponytail whipping about. “That’s ridiculous!”

Gunter stepped forward, eyes narrowed. “No, it makes sense. They’re Vallite royalty. Princess Corrin has been deceiving us…”

“We all found out she was from Valla!” Takumi snapped. “What are you saying!?”

“It seems my intuition was correct. After Scarlet’s murder, I suspected a traitor amongst us. It all makes sense now,” Gunter said flatly.

Azura glared at the veteran knight. “Explain yourself.”

He nodded in agreement. “Of course, Princess. You two worked together to bring us all here to Valla where it would be easier to kill us. With the Royal Families of Nohr and Hoshido dead…”

Corrin looked stricken as the man who raised her continued with his accusations, glaring at her. “Stop it! Why are you…?”

“The Princess is possessed. When she fell down the Bottomless Canyon and into Valla, she did not survive. Anankos has been inside her corpse all of this time! He's been among us, watching and waiting for this moment!”

“Impossible,” Azura snapped. “I would know if that were the case.”

The knight sneered. “Princess Corrin and Scarlet were among the last to jump. She is Scarlet’s killer! And don’t forget that she allowed Anthony to travel with us!”

“Wrong. It was you,” Corrin said, her voice shaking. The color had drained from her face.

“How disappointing. Accusing your accuser? Do you have any evidence? Princess, you couldn't sound any more desperate with your lies.”

She pursed her lips. “Except I’m not lying. Do you recall what you said to me? That you remember how that flower looked, pinned to Scarlet's chest before the jump?”

He nodded impatiently. “Yes, what of it?”

“When we found Scarlet's body, does anyone remember seeing a flower?” Corrin asked, looking around the room at the others.

Ryoma shook his head. “No. There wasn’t one on her…”

Corrin inclined her head and said in a hollow voice, “That's because the magical attack that she saved me from had burned the flower away. And she had only put that flower on a moment before we jumped from the bridge. She and I were the last to jump, so the only ones who saw the flower on her were me…and whoever attacked her!”

Ryoma drew the Raijinto, pointing it at Gunter. “Did you kill her!?”

Gunter’s face went white with rage. “Why would I? Stop listening to this corpse puppet, Your Royal Highness.”

Hinoka frowned. “You haven’t explained why you mentioned a flower on Scarlet. You must have jumped after her or you wouldn’t have seen one.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Camilla said darkly.

Elise clenched her healer robes. “If Corrin was possessed, don’t you think she would have attacked by now?”

“Something isn’t right here,” Sakura said, eyeing Gunter.

The knight started laughing, a deep, guttural sound. He stepped away from Ryoma’s sword and walked to the throne. He sat down in it, still laughing. A malevolent purple glow enveloped him, eyes burning with unholy light.

“Now _that_ is possession,” Leo deadpanned.

“You've found me out. It doesn't matter,” Gunter said, gripping the armrests of the throne.

Corrin stared at him. “How long? How long have you been lying to me?” Her voice was raw, face still bloodless.

“The whole time. One way or another,” he replied.

“Are you the one who died when you landed here the first time?” she asked.

Gunter shook his head. “No. Don’t compare me to those undead puppets, the thralls. I am a living host. Anankos is me and I am him.” He snapped his fingers.

The ceremonial pools of water lining the room rippled ominously. Thralls of all kinds emerged from the churning waters. Some were soldiers or servants. Others were ordinary citizens. All of them were in varying states of wholeness or decay.

“Gods… Get ready!” Xander shouted, pointing Siegfried at the oncoming thralls.

Azura frowned, looking around wildly. “We must find a way to freeze those pools! They’ll keep coming if we don’t.”

Kaze, Saizo and Kagero threw shuriken at several thralls lurching towards the group. Peri thrust her spear at an undead man dressed in a tattered Vallite soldier’s tunic. Odin launched a fireball, incinerating four thralls.

Camilla slammed her divine axe into a decaying woman with red hair, Chione slicing through the rotting flesh. “These poor people… They’ve been forced back into these moldering bodies…”

“At least they can be free in death,” Hinoka said sadly as her divine spear set a walking corpse on fire.

Azura gasped, horrified. “Oh, Gods… Some of these people aren’t undead! They’re living puppets.” A townswoman nearby tried to punch her, eyes shining a dull red.

Takumi frowned, looking at one of the Vallites approaching him. “You’re right. Some of these people are breathing.” He fired a divine arrow; it hit a shambling thrall and blew a hole in the man’s head. The corpse puppet collapsed.

“Is there a way to help them?” Ryoma asked Azura, blasting an undead soldier with Raijinto’s lightning.

The Vallite Princess nodded, sidestepping the civilian and elbowing the woman in the stomach. “Yes. I can sing or… Well, there are plenty of ways to remove Anankos’s influence. The trick is keeping it out…”

“I’m sorry about this!” Sakura said as she punched a living Vallite in the face, knocking the middle-aged man over.

Elise slammed her staff into a girl that was her age. The servant girl cried out, doubling over. “No hard feelings, right?” she asked.

Sakura and Elise had no need for healing staves. They were only used in training or as symbols of a healer’s authority. Tomes were similar; mages only carried them out of tradition. Once a mage learned certain magics, they didn’t need a spell book. Verbal incantations weren’t necessary for most magic.

Her mouth a thin line, Corrin swung the Yato at a thrall. The holy blade sheared through the decaying skin, slicing the undead woman open from the right shoulder to the left hip. “Rest in peace.”

A woman with her skin sloughing off in places moved towards Hinoka. Sinew and bone gleamed dully. The scullery maid, judging by her lowly brown dress, snarled at the Hoshidan Princess, raising a rickety broom. Disturbed, Hinoka thrust Amaterasu at the undead servant, tearing through the chest cavity. Rotting organs ruptured, spraying foul blood that shouldn’t have even been flowing in a dead body. “Ugh!” the redhead uttered.

Corrin stalked towards Gunter, who was still sitting on the throne, watching the battle with amusement. “I will free you. So please hold on!” she pleaded.

“Your foolishness is just impressive. That's all right, though. If thinking as you do will be a comfort as your life fades, then be my guest!” he said, standing up and brandishing his spear with practiced ease.

She charged him, sword scoring across his armor with a clang. Bringing his spear to bear, he clipped her in the side, striking the cuirass. Undeterred, the Princess rammed the pommel of her sword into him, putting a dent in his breastplate. An ordinary person might not have been able to do so, but she was not human.

Xander grunted as an axe hit his armor, though the corpse’s swing had been rather weak. There was not even a scratch on the black plates. He swung Siegfried, the blade pulsing with reddish light. The holy sword cleaved the thrall in half, blood splattering in the air and on the floor.

Leo gestured sharply and a blast of fire hit two thralls. Shrieking, one of them lunged at him with a ladle. He had evidently been a cook in life. Leo casually knocked the metal implement out of the man’s hand and impaled him with a spear made of ice magic. He shot magical lightning at the other corpse, ending its miserable state of living.

Beruka sliced a thrall’s head off, sending the body crashing to the floor. She kicked a living man in the groin and watched him fall with a howl of pain.

Glancing at his Princess, Jakob ran to assist but found an undead soldier in his way. The woman’s dark blue hair was falling out along with the skin of her scalp, revealing her bloody skull in places. Her uniform was shredded, hanging off in ribbons. Deep cuts marred her chest. With a chilling scream, the soldier hefted her sword and brought it down. Jakob threw himself out of the way and the sword crashed into the ground, cracking the tile it struck. Gripping a dagger, Jakob stabbed it into the woman’s side.

The thrall fell to her knees, fingers tightening around the hilt of her weapon. Foul blood oozed from her newest wound. “Kill me,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I will. Rest well, Miss,” Jakob said softly. He jammed the knife into her chest. She collapsed sideways, splayed on the floor. There was a smile on her face.

Sakura yelped as a cold, bony hand grabbed her shoulder. She spun around, coming face to face with a boy not much older than herself. Ghastly slivers of bone showed through his rotting flesh. Long-dried blood coated his simple peasant clothes, which were grimy and motheaten.

“Get away from her!” Elise shouted, flinging a ball of fire at the undead boy.

He screeched as his skin melted off, flailing frantically before falling with a thud. Sakura took a sharp breath. “Rest. I’m sorry you had to come back that way. Thank you, Elise.”

The blonde smiled, though it was strained. “Of course.”

Corrin slammed her sword into Gunter, knocking him off his feet. He landed on the floor with a clatter of armor. “Please come back.”

“No! This…isn't over yet… I am the King of Valla. He is me. I won't die. I refuse…to die…” Gunter gasped.

“You won’t!”

Azura raced over, pendant glowing as she started to sing. Gunter writhed on the floor, snarling gutturally.

“What… What is this?! This song…” he exclaimed.

Xander made his way over, slicing through thralls. “Talk to him! Perhaps that will chase Anankos out.”

Corrin stared down at her father figure. “I believe in you. Fight it! You helped me practice my swordsmanship… You taught me discipline and control but also taught me to laugh and let go. I cherish all of these memories, Gunter. So, please! Come back to us! Break free and come back!”

He peered at her, breathing heavily. “Princess.”

“You can do this!” she said as Jakob, Felicia and Flora ran over to them.

He stood up with some doing, drawing his sword since his spear was still on the floor. “Princess…”

“Move!” Xander shouted at Corrin.

Instead of aiming at her, Gunter reversed the blade until it was pointed at himself. With clenched teeth, he began unstrapping his cuirass. “Must…keep control!”

Corrin shook her head. “NO!” She grabbed the sword and flung it away.

Gunter hissed, trembling. “Get…get out. Get out of me! This girl is like a daughter to me. I will not…hurt her anymore!” Black smoke suddenly erupted from him, dissipating.

She bit her lip. “Is he gone?”

“Yes.” Gunter sighed. “Do you recall when I told you that I declined King Garon's gift? How he offered me dragon blood, but I refused? It offended him greatly. So much that he had my wife and child killed.”

She gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. “That’s…”

Tears rolled down the knight’s cheeks. “He didn't stop there. Once my family was dead, everyone in my hometown was also killed.”

“Why!? How could anyone do such a thing?”

Jakob looked sick. “Old man… You…”

“I’m so sorry!” Felicia sobbed.

Flora clasped her hands. “My condolences, Gunter. Gods…”

Gunter shrugged helplessly. “I ask myself that every day. I cannot understand the minds of royals. To you all, we commoners are little more than pawns in your schemes… Or weeds to be killed on a whim.”

“Is that really how people view my family?” Xander uttered, sadness etched on his handsome face.

Gunter looked at Corrin guiltily. “After my family was killed, I vowed to get revenge on Nohr and King Garon. I helped raise you just to further my own goals. I only befriended you to use you against the man who took everything from me.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“What?”

“Whatever your motivations, you stayed by my side and helped me. Your intentions may have been dark, but you were still good to me.” She smiled at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you finally told me.”

He blinked in shock. “But I killed Scarlet.”

Corrin kept her hand on his shoulder. “I know. You were possessed by Anankos. It was hard for you to break free of a god’s control. If you really want to atone, then let’s make him pay for using you!”

Gunter smiled hesitantly. “Yes… I can not forgive him for forcing me to fight you. And what he’s done to the people of Valla, it’s disgusting.” He turned to Azura. “Princess, we will make the dragon pay for doing all of this.”

Azura fingered her pendant. “Thank you, Sir Gunter. I’m going to free the people who are possessed.” She started walking towards the Vallites, who were still attacking. Thankfully the pools of water were sealed.

Shouting drew Corrin’s attention. Effie was restraining a Vallite woman wearing a filthy green dress. The possessed citizen was clawing at the knight’s armored forearms, trying to get free. Azura sang to the struggling woman. The red glow faded from her eyes, returning them to a normal gray.

“Ahhh, it’s gone. Thank you.” The Vallite slumped in Effie’s grasp, exhausted.

Sakura had already freed several Vallites from possession and was tending to any injuries they might have. “It’s all right now.”

Niles held onto a thrashing child, calling for Azura. The Princess dashed over and released the boy from Anankos’s control.

Corrin cried out as something hit her. Whipping around, she saw that it had been a spear held by a Vallite soldier. The young man, boy really, didn’t seem to be a thrall; he was breathing in rapid pants, shaking from some ailment.

“Hey there. Why don’t you hold still so we can help you?” she said gently.

“For… Valla!” he shouted, red eyes boring into her. His grip on the spear tightened, knuckles turning white.

She hadn’t really expected a reply. It seemed to take an enormous effort for a possessed person or undead thrall to speak. “I really don’t want to hurt you.”

He thrust the spear at her clumsily, body still shaking. She blocked it with the flat of her blade, pushing the spearhead away. His skin was pale, almost unnaturally so, but he wasn’t undead. She couldn’t really determine the cause. Blood dripped from his mouth, hinting at some sort of internal injury. That needed to be healed quickly by someone skilled.

As she blocked another attack, Corrin noticed that the blood was unusually dark. It was a very deep red. Human blood could be dark as well, depending on oxygen content, but the blood coming from his mouth was unlike that.

“Corrin, I’m coming!” Azura called.

Catching the soldier off guard, she grabbed his wrist and squeezed, forcing him to drop his weapon. Corrin shoved him against the wall, seizing his other wrist and pinning him there. “Hold still. It’s all right.”

Just before Azura reached them, the boy spat blood into Corrin’s face, getting some in her mouth. She made a noise of disgust but didn’t release her hold. It tasted sour, burning like acid or some other corrosive. “Really, now?”

Azura looked at the boy closely, frowning. “Dragon’s blood. He’s been given dragon’s blood. That’s why it’s so dark… It also explains his general condition. In certain amounts, the blood of a dragon is poisonous to humans.”

“It hurts,” he whimpered.

“Ugh, does my blood taste that awful?” Corrin said, still holding the soldier tightly as Azura sang. The red faded from his eyes somewhat, leaving them a rusty color.

Azura froze. “It got in your mouth?”

Corrin nodded. “Yes. What’s wrong?”

“Boy, whose blood did they give you!?” Azura demanded sharply.

The soldier shrank against the wall. “His. The monster… Valla’s patron deity. The thralls held me down while it was poured in my mouth and injected in me with a syringe…” He sobbed.

“That’s horrid. Azura, what’s the matter?” Corrin asked.

The blue-haired Princess had turned white. “Anankos is the God of Water. He can control anything with water in it. Including blood. Especially _his_ blood.”

Corrin gasped, dropping the boy to the floor. “You mean…?”

“Yes. It’s easier to possess someone when they’ve been tainted. I think Anankos set this up. He wanted one of the possessed people to infect you with his blood.”

The other royals had come up, judging by the gasps. Camilla had a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Hinoka looked like she was going to cry. Sakura and Elise had their hands clenched into fists. Leo’s eyes were filled with realization. Ryoma was frowning. Xander brought a hand to his face. And Takumi’s face had drained of color, either from shock or disgust.

A rumbling noise came from behind the throne, followed by a deep, ancient sounding laugh.

“He’s here,” Azura uttered.

The booming laughter continued as a head burst through the giant hole in the back wall. Elise shrieked. She wasn’t the only one. Cries of shock came from all around the room. 

Anankos was unlike any dragon depicted in art. He was golden, a rich, regal color befitting one of the Gods. He had no eyes where they should have been. Instead, there was an orb in his mouth, clenched between long, fearsome teeth. The orb was studded with red eyes that stared at them menacingly. Only his head and neck were visible, but just the sight of it has caused everyone to freeze in place, staring in a mixture of fear and awe at the deity before them.

“So you’re Anankos,” Corrin said after a moment.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Did you really think you snuck into my castle?” His voice was deep and ageless, the sound of eternity.

Corrin scowled. “You’ve been toying with us for far too long.”

The dragon god snickered. “Why? Why is it wrong to manipulate humans? Your race is weak. It has forgotten its place in the world—forgotten its benefactors. You exist solely for the amusement of your betters—dragons! So answer me, Corrin! Why am I the one left to suffer? Why am I the one left to rot? Why do humans flourish while I am buried here…ignored…forgotten? TELL ME WHY!”

His roar was so loud that they could feel the sound in their very bones. Elise and several others covered their ears, shaking.

Corrin ran up to the enraged deity, slashing at him with the Yato. Nothing happened. There was no wound, not even a scratch on the golden scales. “What!? It can’t be… The Yato is supposed to…”

Anankos snarled. “You dare bare your teeth at me?! Lashing out with your sharp sticks... Corrin! I will take your pathetic life. Then I will make your body my own. You're of my bloodline. You will serve as a vessel for me!”

She took a step back. “Your bloodline?” Her face went pale, contrasting with the blood she had yet to wipe off. “I’m related to you? That would explain…”

Azura looked equally stricken. “A water dragon… How blind we’ve all been. Royal House Athanasia is descended from Anankos, much like the Hoshidan Royal Family are descendants of Dawn Dragon Yunori and the Nohrian Royal Family are descended from Dusk Dragon Velhir. But...”

“I must have a high concentration of dragon genes to be one myself. No. That means… You and my mother…”

The dragon laughed again, quivering with amusement. “Ah, yes. I was her husband. Well, a part of me was. I split myself into two. That other half has since rejoined me.”

Corrin looked like she was going to vomit, the fingers of her right hand wrapped tightly around Yato’s hilt. “I’m not going to let you harm anyone else! The people of Valla will be free!”

“My ignorant child. That human boy served his purpose well. I have everything I need to make you dance on strings.”

Corrin screamed as a sharp pain overtook her. It felt like her blood had been replaced with fire or molten metal; everything was burning. She could taste the blood again, its sour and acidic flavor filling her mouth until it was almost choking her. A voice filled her head, crooning dark whispers.

“No!” The raw shout had come from Takumi. “Azura, do something!”

Azura’s golden eyes were wide. Her song filled the air, but it did nothing to stop the fire in Corrin’s veins nor did it silence the voice. “I can’t… It’s not working!”

Gunter looked stricken. "Corrin! I won't allow you to do this, Anankos!"

Takumi ran to her, amber eyes filled with tears. “This can’t be happening. Get out of her! Leave her alone!” He grabbed her hand. “Resist! Don’t let him do this.”

She heard him. His voice was soft, pained, desperate. He loved her. They had developed feelings beyond a mere platonic friendship. At first she had been disgusted with herself, thinking that they were siblings. But when they had talked about it, Takumi had revealed that he and Ryoma knew that their father wasn’t hers, that Mikoto had told them both. After that, they had started a secret relationship, not sure what the others knew or suspected. Well, she knew that some people had noticed their relationship. Perhaps it wasn’t so secret.

“Look at me. Snap out of it!” he barked, gripping the Fujin in numb hands.

She couldn’t respond. Her arms lifted without her consent. Her body was moving on its own. She heard her sword clatter to the floor. Suddenly her hands were around his throat. He didn’t struggle, too shocked to move.

Ryoma and Hinoka ran over. “Let him go.”

“Corrin, please…” Takumi said softly.

Tears blurred her vision as her fingers squeezed his throat. _No! No no no no no._

 _You love this human boy? This fragile being?_ Anankos’s voice asked in her head. She was also aware that everyone else could hear him as well.

Her lips moved; she could control them again. “Yes,” she answered hoarsely.

 _Would you like to see what they do? How you appear to them?_ With that, she abruptly saw herself through the eyes of the others.

Her eyes glowed a sinister red, white hair cascading down her back. Her face, with blood still around her mouth, was expressionless. Cold. She wasn’t herself. A puppet was what she was, dancing on her father’s strings.

She let out a dry sob; the effort of making such a sound was exhausting. _Please don’t make me do this! Father!_

Anankos huffed, his hot breath ruffling her hair. “You can’t stop me.” Screams filled the room as everyone else suddenly fell over when the ground shook.

 _Takumi… No no no, I don’t want this! Have to let go…_ She couldn’t make herself move. Her body wouldn’t respond.

Sakura sat up, looking at them as they stood there. “Brother!”

Just when Corrin thought her hands would increase pressure, would choke the life out of her beloved, they released Takumi. He gasped, panting for breath. Her fingers had left bruises on his pale throat.

“Corrin?” he asked, voice raspy.

She couldn’t speak, a puppet once more. Frustration welled up inside her. _What are you doing!?_

Anankos roared. The pools of water rippled again and the doors slammed open. Undead soldiers marched in from the entrance of the temple as others came up through the pools, weapons drawn. The living Vallites were left alone, some cowering against the walls and some still unconscious.

“Gods! There’s too many of them!” Xander exclaimed.

Camilla gripped her axe. “What should we do?”

“Fight as long as we can?” Hinoka suggested grimly.

Looking at the situation, Corrin realized that her father could keep summoning thralls until her friends and family were overwhelmed. _Stop. Please. I can’t watch this! I don’t want to watch…_

A massacre. That’s what would happen. And she could do nothing to stop it.

“You want to save such pitiful things? Very well. I will oblige, however ridiculous this is.” Anankos addressed his thralls verbally, seemingly for her benefit. “Aim to incapacitate, not kill.”

The undead soldiers changed their tactics accordingly, perfectly obedient. Odin yelped as he was thrown against a pillar. Selena growled as a thrall pinned her to the ground.

One by one, her elite force was overcome. She hoped the Hoshidan and Nohrian soldiers that had accompanied them to Valla were storming the castle from outside like they were supposed to. But she wasn’t sure how much good that would do.

Elise screamed as she was grabbed from behind, held against the soldier’s chest in a firm grip. Leo raced towards his sister, flinging magic at any enemy he could target. Five undead men moved to intercept him. Her retainers tried to help, but the tide of thralls proved to be too much. Arthur was restrained first, ever unlucky. Effie fought much longer, but in the end she was taken down by three mages.

Niles was shoved to the wall while a corpse puppet knocked the axe out of Beruka’s hand. Benny was set upon by cackling mages. Charlotte shrieked as she was seized roughly by the arms, the axe was torn from her grip and her sword, still sheathed, snatched off of her belt. Gunter fought off several corpses before being defeated by a cluster of them.

Oboro snarled as four Vallite knights in plate armor cornered her, lashing out with her naginata in futility. Hinata stayed by Takumi, watching his back as the Prince shot off holy arrows.

Azama slammed his naginata into a thrall before two more overtook him. Tsubaki was forced onto the ground by no less than six undead soldiers. Setsuna shot a female soldier in the face just another woman yanked her back. Hana cried out as her arms were wrenched behind her back.

Sakura ran to help, gripping her staff tightly. She swung it at any thralls who came near, clearing a path to her fallen retainers. “I’m coming!”

Tsubaki attempted to throw the soldiers’ weight off of him, but they were too heavy and numerous. Hana kicked the rotting shins of the men holding her. Felicia and Flora were surrounded by thralls while Silas and Shura attempted to help.

Xander and Ryoma stood back to back, their divine swords flashing with seething red energy and crackling lightning. Thralls fell around them, the floor littered with corpses finally released from Anankos’s service.

Camilla swung her divine axe wildly, the stress of an unwinnable battle finally taking hold. Various body parts flew as she hacked the undead soldiers to pieces. A knight swept her leg out from under her with a well-executed kick, sending her sprawling. His sword was at her throat in an instant.

Hinoka headed towards the two oldest Princes, Amaterasu blazing with flames and roasting any thralls that came into contact with it. She turned to see a rather fresh-looking Vallite cleric slam his staff into her hand. Hissing, she dropped Amaterasu before ducking to grab it. Just as her fingers closed around the shaft, the cleric hit her across the chest, causing her to fall backward onto the floor.

Leo was handling the five soldiers well, keeping them at bay with magical flames. A thrall dressed in the tattered clothes of a Vallite priestess of some sort shot him in the back with a burst of magical lightning. He screamed and fell to the floor, seizing as the electricity arced along him.

At the same time, Takumi fired an arrow that reduced a crumbling horse rider to a mess, blood spraying. He heard Hinata yelp and turned to see that a soldier with a spear had disarmed the samurai and was dragging him off. “No!”

Takumi shot the soldier but the undead puppet was replaced by another, pulling Hinata across the floor. Shaking his head, Takumi started moving towards his older brother. He killed many thralls along the way, reducing them to rotting pincushions. A skeletal hand latched onto his shoulder, digging into the fabric of his blue shirt. He whipped around just as another hand ripped the Fujin out of his grasp. He thrashed, hoping the holy weapon would incinerate the thrall. No such luck. “Ryoma!” he screamed.

Orochi, Hayato and Nyx blasted their way towards the exit only to be swarmed and overwhelmed by the numbers. Saizo leaped in front of an attack meant to disarm Kagero and fell to the ground. Kaze went to aid his brother but fell victim to ice magic. Kagero herself fought on for several minutes alone until even she was taken down.

Xander frowned as he surveyed the room. “Our last stand.”

Ryoma nodded grimly, tightening his grip around Raijinto’s hilt. “Until the end.” He disintegrated a corpse with his sword’s lightning. “Look!”

Two thralls dressed in the uniform of the Vallite Royal Guard approached, both holding a beautiful but functional halberd. Part spear, part axe and part hook, a halberd was a versatile weapon.

“For Nohr,” Xander said sardonically.

Ryoma chuckled at the sarcasm, facing one of the Royal Guardsmen. He kept the undead soldier on his toes, staying out of the halberd’s long reach. Xander used similar tactics with the other Guardsman, deflecting the blade with Siegfried.

“Ryoma!” Takumi screamed again, struggling against two thralls attempting to pull his arms behind him.

The High Prince glanced towards his brother in concern. That moment of familial love, as pure as it was, also sealed the future Emperor’s fate. The hook portion of his opponent’s halberd yanked Raijinto out of his grip. Pained by the conduction of electricity along the metal shaft of his weapon, the thrall flung the holy katana at a nearby pillar, where it clattered to the dusty tiled floor. Xander turned to see the commotion and was clipped by the blade of the other Guardsman’s halberd. It cleaved through his armor, scoring across the ribs on Xander’s left side. The Nohrian Crown Prince gave a shout of pain, pressing a hand to the injury as blood seeped through his cuirass and ripped shirt.

Disarmed but determined, Ryoma ducked under his opponent’s weapon only for the thrall to smack him with the shaft. Surprised, he paused and that was when he was grabbed and subdued.

Takumi, still putting up a fight against the Vallite soldiers that held him, saw his brother’s defeat. “NO! Ryoma!” A priestess stepped up, holding a metal and glass object in her hand. Takumi felt something jab into him. He thrashed for a few more minutes before falling limp.

Released from the dragon’s control, Corrin fell to her knees as darkness took over.

**Author's Note:**

> And thus our heroes lose. As I said in the tags, they're not dead. Anyway, I found that the idea of everyone in Valla being dead was a bit much. So there are plenty of survivors, living in ruined towns and whatnot. It hasn't been easy with a deranged, angry dragon god in charge, though. Anankos has been wavering between rage and forgiveness. He still has a part of him that cares for Valla and his people, so he's not going to wipe them out completely, no matter what he says. 
> 
> A note about the thralls: if they're brought back just after dying, their bodies won't decay. The rotting only happens if they've been dead for a while before being shoved back into their body. Those poor people! Anankos can resurrect people fully with an intact body since he's a god, but he typically chooses not to for extra cruelty. Arete, Mikoto, Sumeragi and Scarlet are examples of full resurrections. 
> 
> Possession can work a couple of ways. If the host is dead, they have a very slim chance of resisting if their soul is still there, as in the case with the thralls for the most part. Corpse!Garon can't, though, since he's a puppet with one of Anankos's servants in his dead body. He is in there too and sees everything that's going on, unable to stop it. If the host is living, Anankos can either fully possess them or just use them as a puppet, as he does with the citizens and Corrin. Gunter was almost fully possessed. It took a ton of effort to get a god out of him.


End file.
